| Guidelines for
Country Reports
The theme selected for the Fifth Asian and Pacific
Population Conference is "Population and Poverty
in Asia and the Pacific". While many countries
have been able to reduce fertility and improve the
overall quality of life of the population, poverty
still persists in many countries. It has even increased
in some countries, particularly since the 1997-1998
Asian financial crisis. However, even in countries
where fertility has declined there are still areas
and population subgroups which are in general poorer
and for which access to health services, including
reproductive health/family planning services, remains
inadequate. As a result, there has been a serious
rethinking of the population-development links within
several United Nations agencies during the decade
that has elapsed since the convening of the Fourth
Asian and Pacific Population Conference in Bali in
1992.
The purposes of the country reports are (a) to review
the population and development situation, including
issues relating to reproductive health and gender
equity, in the countries concerned based on the goals
contained in the Bali Declaration, ICPD Programme
of Action and other related documents and (b) to highlight
priority population issues relevant to the countries
in the context of alleviating poverty and improving
the quality of life of the population. Each section
should include a review of accomplishments, current
status, priority issues and future directions. The
country reports should discuss the situation in each
country in respect of each of the agenda items (issues)
to be deliberated at the Conference. For the sake
of uniformity in presentation, the following outline,
which generally follows the agenda topics, is recommended:
Executive summary (not exceeding 3 pages)
Section 1. Overview of the population and development
situation and prospects, with special attention to
poverty
This section will discuss the dynamics of the population
and development situation focusing on what impacts
it has on poverty. It will also discuss anticipated
future trends, particularly in the context of globalization.
This section should include an assessment of the status
of implementation of the goals contained in the Bali
Declaration on Population and Sustainable Development
and the ICPD Programme of Action.
Section 2. Fertility levels and trends, and their
implications for reproductive health, including family
planning programmes
This section will examine levels and trends in fertility,
focusing on issues related to reproductive health
programmes and future prospects for fertility trends.
In high-fertility countries, the section will investigate
factors that hinder fertility decline, including the
sociocultural milieu, and will identify policy measures
that may facilitate the onset of fertility decline.
In intermediate-fertility countries, the section will
provide insights into the prospects for a further
decline in fertility, examining determinants and consequences
of the trends. In low-fertility countries, the section
will examine the consequences of low fertility and
discuss policies and programmes in response to low
fertility and population ageing. It will also identify
the links between fertility and poverty. Finally,
the section will conclude with policy recommendations
that are relevant for countries at different levels
of fertility.
Section 3. Mortality and morbidity trends and poverty
This section will first review recent trends in mortality
rates and patterns in morbidity and causes of death.
The section will emphasize the need for strengthening
and using available data to monitor mortality and
morbidity. It will consider the strategies needed
to meet the millennium development goals. It will
also emphasize the need to improve the accessibility
of health services by all segments of the population,
in particular, the poor, the elderly, women and youth.
Next, the section will identify the programmes implemented
by the countries in successfully reducing morbidity
and mortality, which can be used as best practices
for enhancing the effectiveness of health programmes
in other countries. Finally, the section will identify
the impact of mortality and morbidity reduction on
prospects for poverty reduction and sustainable development.
Section 4. Migration, urbanization and poverty
This section will address the issues related to internal
and international migration flows, particularly the
living conditions of migrants, trafficked women and
children, and refugees in destination countries. It
will discuss how the negative consequences of migration
can be mitigated.
The section will begin with a discussion on the pattern
of urban transition, focusing on the growth and changing
distribution of populations in the hierarchy of urban
settlements, including, but not limited to, "mega-cities".
In this context, the section will discuss the impact
of rapid rural-to-urban migration on urban infrastructures,
such as meeting the needs of "floating"
and homeless populations and internally displaced
persons.
The section will highlight possible future trends
regarding migration, urbanization and poverty in the
context of globalization. Drawing upon the various
approaches that have been adopted to manage migration
and population distribution, the section will make
specific recommendations for countries. The section
will underscore the consequences of migration and
urbanization on poverty, focusing on disadvantaged
groups, including women and children.
Section 5. Population ageing
The section will focus on the current situation of
the elderly population and discuss policies and programmes
that need to be developed in order to provide support
to the elderly population in respect of health care,
housing, income security, caregiving facilities and
living arrangements. The section will emphasize the
need to provide social and economic security to the
poor segments of the elderly, in particular, those
who are widowed and those living in poverty. The section
will also explore options for making the elderly more
productive through such programmes as engaging the
elderly population in income-generation activities
and social services.
Section 6. Reproductive health
This section will discuss the importance of providing
good-quality family planning programmes in the wider
context of reproductive health, including issues related
to women's health, with particular attention to pregnancy
and childbirth, and access to services by the poor
and underserved groups. The section will also address
issues related to the integration of HIV/AIDS prevention
programmes with reproductive health programmes.
Section 7. Adolescent reproductive health
This section will first examine various socio-economic
factors that are influencing the sexual and reproductive
behaviour of adolescents and youths. They include
such factors as inadequate access to correct information,
the availability of and access to youth-friendly health
services, peer pressure and the erosion of the role
of the family, economic constraints and gender power
imbalances. Second, the section will highlight the
prevalence of sexuality and childbearing among adolescents
and youth, its consequences for the health of mothers
and children and sexually transmitted infections,
including HIV/AIDS.
The section will identify approaches to involve adolescents
and youth in programme planning and implementation
and mechanisms to share best practices. It will provide
policy recommendations for addressing the sexual and
reproductive health needs of adolescents and youths.
Section 8. Demographic, economic and social impact
of HIV/AIDS
This section will discuss the demographic, economic
and social impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, taking
into account recent trends in incidence, prevalence
and mortality rates. It will examine the expected
impact of the disease on government health systems,
the labour force and poverty reduction efforts both
at the national level and in the regions and districts
most severely affected.
Section 9. Gender equality and development
The section will review the improvements made in
women's status since the Bali Conference and ICPD,
as reflected in their legal rights, education, health,
employment, position in the household and family decision-making
power. It will address the factors constraining progress
in achieving the goals set by the international conferences,
particularly ICPD and ICPD+5, and define the measures
needed to reach the goals established to improve the
status of women. It will also discuss issues related
to the participation of males in reproductive health
in particular and in household activities in general
and to the feminization of poverty. Finally, it will
identify areas that need monitoring on a regular basis
and propose indicators for assessing progress.
Section 10. Behavioural change communication and
advocacy and information and communications technology
as tools for population and development and poverty
reduction
(a) Behavioural change communication and advocacy
This section will address the role of behavioural
change communication and advocacy in the population
and development process and in poverty reduction in
the Asian and Pacific region, identify the areas of
behavioural change communication and advocacy activities
and discuss policies and strategies to bring about
desired behavioural changes, keeping in mind the sociocultural
context of target groups.
(b) Information and communications technology
This section will address the role of ICT in the
population and development process in the Asian and
Pacific region, especially in the context of globalization,
and identify the areas of ICT applications, with special
emphasis on poverty reduction. In addition, the section
will provide recommendations for developing policies
and strategies to reduce the so-called digital divide
for population development and poverty reduction.
Section 11. Data, research and training
This section will discuss the need for data, research
and training to address issues of population and development,
particularly in the context of globalization and changing
planning systems that emphasize the role of markets,
decentralization and local governance. In this regard,
special attention will be given to the need for population-related
data for local areas, such as villages in rural areas
and wards in urban areas, to highlight intraprovincial
and intra-urban variations. The section will also
mention the development of indicators to measure progress
in the realization of the millennium development goals
and those included in the ICPD Programme of Action.
Section 12. Partnerships and resources
This section will review the current status and discuss
the need to strengthen partnerships and mobilize resources
for population and poverty programmes, keeping in
mind that the formulation and implementation of population
and development policies and programmes must respond
to the needs of the people. The current situation
and needs for future financial assistance in the population
field can be also reviewed in this section.
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